My favourite Inktober artworks and what I've learned from them

Inktober is over! It was quite stressful to get an artwork done every single day and to be honest, I didn't do all of them. I did 28. And that's fine.

Technically, I did more than 31, but I absolutely hated some of my drawings and I didn't want to share them with the world.

Here are my favorites and what they taught me.

1. Don't give up too quickly

For day 6 ("drooling") I tried ink wash for the second time ever. It was more fun than the first time, because I realized that even though there's still so much to learn, I already got a tiny bit
better at it. It taught me to try out new things more often and to not give up after the first time.

2. Explore!

For day 10 ("flowing") I mainly used a simple ballpoint pen. I used to draw a lot with ballpoint pens (at school, in college, at work) and I loved the control you have of your lines and how easy
it is to draw details. It gave me more flow (ha! yes, totally matching the prompt of that day) and that's when this little mouse happened. I almost forgot how much I love drawing cute little
animals and to tell stories with them. That's what I rediscovered during day 10. There's more than fan art and portraits. I love drawing illustrations and making up stories. I should do that more
often.

3. References aren't always necessary.

During day 19 ("scorched") I was doodling while I had to wait for something and the rough sketch of this tiny dragon just showed up. I usually draw while using references. I like drawing
realistically, trying to figure out the shapes and details. But this tiny dragon was drawn without reference.

I worked out the rough sketch, added some details and made up a story about this little creature. I learned that working from references is vital for me, but sometimes it's a good thing to just
draw what comes to mind, without any reference at all.

4. Never stop challenging yourself

During day 24 ("chop"), I wanted to challenge myself a bit. I absolutely hate drawing hands. So I made myself draw something that was mostly focused on hands. I had to redraw this so many times!

But I realized it's good to push yourself in order to grow.

So even though I didn't finish al 31 prompts, I think doing Inktober this year was very beneficial. I hope to participate again next year!